Residential and commercial internal environmental condition control systems, such as temperature control systems, have been used for many years. Temperature control systems include thermostats and thermostatic control devices. These devices are designed primarily to sense the temperature inside a premise and, based on an occupant-designated temperature setting, activate a heating and/or cooling system or systems to maintain the temperature at that setting.
There exist two main types of temperature control devices. One type of temperature control device includes a standard, single temperature control device having a setting control with which an occupant can set a desired temperature and a switch to select between a heating or cooling system, only one of which will be activated at a time. The heating system, when activated, will heat the premise when the actual temperature falls below the desired temperature setting. Similarly, the cooling (i.e., air conditioning) system, when activated, will cool the premise when the actual temperature exceeds the desired setting.
Another temperature control device includes a dual temperature control device having a dual setting control attached both to a heating system and a cooling system. A user may enter two desired temperature settings, a minimum desired temperature setting which controls activation of the heating system and a maximum desired temperature setting which controls activation of the cooling system. When the actual temperature falls below the minimum desired temperature setting, the heating system automatically is activated. Similarly, when the actual temperature rises above the maximum desired temperature setting, the cooling system automatically is activated. Such a dual temperature control device allows the user to input a comfort range between two temperature settings and does not require the user to manually activate either the heating system or the cooling system.
From the two basic temperature control devices described above, numerous temperature control systems have been developed, offering different features and variations. The temperature sensing and control devices have moved from traditional bi-metal contractors to more sophisticated electronic devices as technology has advanced. Some modern systems have been developed to enable a user to conserve energy while controlling temperature comfort levels. One modern system, for example, may be programmed by a user with multiple desired temperature settings for activating both heating systems and cooling systems based on time-dependent user-programmed parameters, such as time of day, day of week, month, etc. Another system, called Smart Systems 1000.TM., sold by Smart Systems International, includes an infra-red motion sensor for sensing the presence of a person in the premise being controlled. The system controls the temperature differently when a person's presence is detected than in the absence of such detection, in an attempt to conserve energy when the premise is vacant. Another system, called Transtext.RTM., sold by Integrated Communication Systems, Inc. of Roswell, Ga., allows a user to select different desired temperature settings depending on which of three utility company energy cost tiers (high, medium or low) then is in effect, giving the user a certain level of control over energy consumption cost savings.
While such systems offer a certain level of energy consumption control and, therefore, energy consumption cost control, none provides a user with direct energy consumption level or energy consumption price level control. Additionally, none offers user-defined control of environmental conditions other than temperature, nor does any provide automatic environmental condition control based on sensed external environmental conditions, which external conditions may greatly effect internal conditions.
As the energy (i.e., gas, electric, etc.) supply industry becomes re-regulated and numerous energy suppliers become available to each premise, energy consumption control and price information (and control) will enable the savings of energy consumption and a tremendous amount of money spent thereon. A change occurring today in the energy and utility industry includes the movement of energy suppliers from a monopoly base to a competitive base, which movement will enable a user to select a supplier from an available group. Comparison shopping for the best price will be enabled. With the complicated pricing formats of most energy suppliers, and due to the dependence of total energy cost on usage times, energy levels, number of loads, etc., it will be quite difficult, from an accounting standpoint, for a user to predict cost and therefore take advantage of the selection opportunity.
It is a general object of the present invention to provide an environmental condition control system that automatically controls internal environmental conditions to optimize comfort and minimize energy consumption and/or energy cost, based on user-defined parameters.